Canada Environmental Issues Oh Canada Environmental Issues Acid

Environmental Issues • Acid Rain • Pollution of the Great Lakes • Extraction and

Acid Rain-It’s a Problem • Coal burning factories, cars, and trucks release chemicals that

Acid Rain & The Great Lakes • When chemicals from factories join with water

Canadian Spruce destroyed by acid rain Pollution and emission from industry creates acid rain

Acid Rain Solution • Canada’s government has done several things to reduce acid rain:

Pollution in the Great Lakes • The Great Lakes have had high levels of

Solutions for the Great Lakes • In 1972 Canada and the U. S. created

Canadian Shield • The Canadian Shield has large deposits of gold, silver, copper and

Extraction and Use of Resources on Canadian Shield • Blasting and digging with heavy

Strip- mining Used to extract minerals out the earth when ore is close to

Possible Solutions • 1. Reduce the amount of mining allowed in the Canadian Shield.

Canada’s Timber Resources • With almost half of its land covered in forests, Canada

Deforestation • With deforestation in Canada, animals lose their habitat, land experiences erosion and

Possible Solution? • Historical and current over-extraction of minerals and timber has threatened the

1. Design a pamphlet for elementary school children in Canada to learn to be

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Canada Environmental Issues

Oh Canada!

Environmental Issues • Acid Rain • Pollution of the Great Lakes • Extraction and Use of Natural Resources on the Canadian Shield • Deforestation/ Timber Industry

Acid Rain-It’s a Problem • Coal burning factories, cars, and trucks release chemicals that pollute the air. • Growth of industries and cities has caused air quality to decline, raising concerns about the effects of fossil fuel use and acid rain.

Acid Rain & The Great Lakes • When chemicals from factories join with water in the clouds, they form acid rain. • High levels of acid rain can damage or kill trees and pollute lakes enough to kill fish.

Canadian Spruce destroyed by acid rain Pollution and emission from industry creates acid rain that in turn, destroys trees.

Acid Rain Solution • Canada’s government has done several things to reduce acid rain: – Build factories that do not pollute the air. – Pass laws that require emission standards for cars. – Encourage people to walk or ride bikes/buses.

Pollution in the Great Lakes • The Great Lakes have had high levels of pollution due to acid rain, urbanization, sewage, and agricultural runoff. • Fishing was unsafe: animals and plants were being killed. • Factories used the lakes to dump waste.

Solutions for the Great Lakes • In 1972 Canada and the U. S. created the first “Great Lakes Agreement” pledging to clean up and protect the Great Lakes and the Great Lakes ecosystem. • The goal is to restore the Lakes’ environment and protect further damage. • The two countries pledged to work together to reduce the amount of waste and chemicals dumped into its lakes.

Canadian Shield • The Canadian Shield has large deposits of gold, silver, copper and uranium.

Extraction and Use of Resources on Canadian Shield • Blasting and digging with heavy machinery causes the land around mines to be damaged and environment ruined. • Mining process release harmful chemicals into the air which cause acid rain.

Strip- mining Used to extract minerals out the earth when ore is close to the surface but has only a few layers of rock or dirt on top of it. The top layers are “stripped” and explosives are used to extract the minerals.

Possible Solutions • 1. Reduce the amount of mining allowed in the Canadian Shield. • 2. Reduce exports of raw materials , but focus on manufactured goods like cars.

Canada’s Timber Resources • With almost half of its land covered in forests, Canada is a leading producer of timber products. • Lumber, paper, plywood, and wood pulp.

Deforestation • With deforestation in Canada, animals lose their habitat, land experiences erosion and the “lungs of the Earth” suffer.

Possible Solution? • Historical and current over-extraction of minerals and timber has threatened the future of available resources. • When too many of these raw materials are removed or extracted from the environment, it permanently affects it. • Government and industry are working together to manage the use of forests.

1. Design a pamphlet for elementary school children in Canada to learn to be environmentally responsible 2. Write a letter to someone in parliament discussing laws they could pass to make for a better environment in Canada 3. Create an environmental TShirt.